


Hope's Ray of Light

by eternallydaydreaming



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bullying, Discrimination, M/M, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 14:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11015739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternallydaydreaming/pseuds/eternallydaydreaming
Summary: Even years after the war with Niflheim had ended, Prompto realizes that the world has not grown any less cruel.





	Hope's Ray of Light

**Author's Note:**

> This fic goes with "The Soul of Humanity." Not required to read other fic first but helps put some things into perspective.

Passing through the gates of Insomnia, Prompto rolled his sore shoulders as exhaustion threatened to consume him. Using his knuckle, he rubbed his eyes, desperately fighting sleep that has built up during his long drive home. While he was fulfilling his dream to be a professional photographer, he missed being away from his family. The side gig took a while to grow into a business but word of mouth soon allowed him to expand from doing freelance landscape pictures to family portraits. This particular trip took him to Cape Caem for a beautiful seaside wedding. He would have brought his family along for the trip if it wasn’t for the fact that Hope had exams at school. Oh how she would have loved to see the ocean.

Prompto flinched as the sun peeked through the buildings, blinding his view. Honestly, the assault on his senses was probably the only reason he stayed awake during his last leg of the trip. Prompto’s stomach rumbled as he thought of what meal Ignis will be cooking for dinner that night. He sighed, realizing it was too soon in the day to even be worrying about that. No one would even be home right now. 

Relief washed over him when he finally parked into the garage. A week away from home drained every last bit of his energy. Approaching the door, Prompto slipped his shoes off but then noticed extra pairs of shoes also on the rack. His brows furrowed as he noticed Ignis’s loafers and Hope’s Mary Janes. He then smirked as he concluded that his family had poorly planned to surprise him by playing hooky for the day. Composing himself, he gripped the knob and pushed through the doorway.

“Honey, I’m home!” Prompto happily imitated the husbands from the old television sitcoms. 

Instead of his family rushing into his loving embrace, he heard an irate Ignis sternly talking on the phone. Prompto followed the voice to the kitchen. Ignis paced back and forth in the cleared area between the sink and the island.

“…That is absolutely unacceptable,” Ignis retorted.

Prompto stared, confusion written all over his face. He debated whether he should get Ignis’s attention or wait until he hung up. So he settled on leaning against the wall and listen for context clues and piece together the conversation himself.

“…I should have been notified as soon as the incident occurred. The fact you stayed silent until I called speaks volumes about the concern you have for the safety of all of your students.”

_This is about Hope!_

Prompto bit his tongue and crossed his arms as he waited to hear more but the conversation soon closed with Ignis threatening legal action before pressing the end call button and clutching the phone in a shaky fist.

“So what exactly happened to Hope?”

Ignis did not jump at the sound of his voice, meaning he did hear the front door when Prompto entered. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ignis thought for a moment on how to proceed.

“Hope was being bullied at school.”

Ignis raised a hand as soon as a shocked gasp escaped Prompto’s lips, telling him wait until he was done.

“Apparently it has been happening for a while though Hope has kept quiet about the prior incidents. The only reason I noticed anything was because Hope came home last night unable to breathe. She kept her breaths shallow and if inhaled too deeply, she flinched in pain. When I inquired about it, Hope confessed that she was ganged up on by several classmates. Despite being seen by the school nurse, she was sent back to class and no one bothered to call me. We went to the emergency room last night and confirmed that she has bruised ribs but fortunately nothing broken.”

“Why didn’t you call me?! Why didn’t you tell me you went to the hospital?!”

“It would not have done any good. You would have been frantic when we needed you to drive home safely.” Ignis reached across the island and squeezed Prompto’s hand slightly, offering reassurance and his apology. “Hope told me that she has been harassed for a while now. All the while teachers have turned a blind eye. She has not told me any more beyond that except for when I asked why she neglected to inform us of this before she responded with that she did not want us to worry.”

Prompto pulled his hand out of Ignis’s and turned to face the hallway. 

“Go to her,” Ignis encouraged. “She needs you.”

A heavy heart seemed to weigh Prompto’s legs down. A side of him knew he needed to be by Hope’s side all the while he wished for a world where his daughter would not need experience pain. Standing outside her door, Prompto gently knocked with the knuckle of his index finger. A soft voice permitted entry. Opening the door, he found Hope lying on her side, facing toward the window that overlooked their garden. The digital clock on her nightstand caught his attention – ten in the morning.

_What an injustice…forced to skip school for her own safety._

Pushing his anger aside, Prompto walked forward and sat down next to Hope. The mattress shifted slightly but Hope made no attempt to move. Silence passed between them except for the birds singing outside. Prompto pulled a small lighthouse souvenir from his pocket and fidgeted with the trinket. His eyes involuntarily shifted rapidly as he struggled to find his words, fearing he had no comfort to offer.

“I wish you would have told us sooner what was happening, Hope.” The words were truthful. Perhaps if they had known Hope could have been spared from the beating. “Why did you keep quiet?”

“Didn’t wanna worry you.” The same response she offered Ignis. Hope’s voice was soft; her happy-go-lucky cheeriness had disappeared. Hope certainly put up a good façade as even his intuitive husband never suspected anything was amiss with their daughter. Pretty good acting for a twelve-year-old. 

Reaching out his hand, Prompto brushed back long strands of her reddish-violet hair that concealed her face. She didn’t bother trying to cover the deep purple bruise encircling her left eye. Prompto held back his gasp as he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently rolled Hope onto her back so he could have a better look. He scanned over her, noting the split bottom lip and scratches and bruises littering her arms and legs. Tears began welling in her amber eyes as if ashamed to have lost the fight.

“Does your dad know the extent of these injuries?”

Hope nodded. “The doctor told him.”

“I don’t understand, Hope. You didn’t want us to worry about you but now I’m more worried than ever. If there was a way to stop this sooner…”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.” Hope’s lips quivered as tears rolled from the outer corner of her eyes. “You could have talked to them until blue in the face and it wouldn’t have changed a thing. Not when my classmates stare and whisper behind my back. Not when my lunch tray gets flipped on a daily basis. Not when teachers stand by and don’t reprimand others for calling me a ‘Niff bitch.’ Not when my tech teacher says I’m only good with machinery because I-I was created t-t-to be one.”

The more she spoke, the more her voice broke until she was reduced to sobs. Prompto’s heart broke as he watched his little princess look so helpless. He was proud that she wanted to stand on her own two feet yet felt he somehow let her down by not seeing the signs sooner.

“This isn’t right, Hope. Your father and I are here to help you, to protect you. Why would you purposely keep us in the dark?”

“It’s not your battle to fight for me. I can’t go through my whole life relying on you. I wish you could just understand that you can’t coddle me forever.”

A sense of rejection gripped Prompto’s soul. When he and Ignis adopted their precious angel, they promised to always love and protect her. What Prompto wished Hope would understand is that this battle was his long before she ever inherited it.

\- Fifteen Years Prior -

“Great it’s raining,” Prompto pouted as the sprinkles soon broke into a torrential downpour. “Stupid weatherman said the rain was supposed to come tomorrow.”

“And you argued that I did not need to bring the umbrella. Aren’t you grateful I did now?”

Prompto wanted nothing more than to stick his tongue out at Ignis however he realized the effect of the tease would be lost. Such was the price of having a visually impaired boyfriend. In reality, Prompto truly was grateful. After all, he did not care to enter the restaurant soaked to the bone. This was their first night in months where they would not talk politics or advocating for the unborn children of Niflheim. Tonight they will enjoy a fancy date, relax, and hopefully later, actually get laid. A grin tugged at his lips at the prospect as they both have been deprived of the physical intimacy. Stress took a toll on their energy, leaving them exhausted on a daily basis. As brilliant as ever, Ignis surprised Prompto by making reservations months in advanced and only notified him a few days ago to that they would take a day off from work and go out for the evening.

Pulling up to the curb of Le Château, Prompto grabbed the umbrella, exited the car, and turned over the key to the valet. He then pulled the passenger side door open and escorted Ignis into the fine dining restaurant. The inside was cast in a dim, candle-lit ambience. Soft violin music serenaded couples who stared lovingly into each other’s eyes while whispering…well, who knows what, but he sure intended on sweet talking flirtation tonight. Prompto was only half paying attention when he heard Ignis’s irritated voice rise slightly.

“What do you mean you do not have a seat?”

“I’m sorry, Sir, but our establishment is booked for months. An advanced reservation is required.”

“I am fully aware of that,” Ignis calmly retorted. Diplomatic training taught him restraint even under pressure. Prompto blushed as all eyes in the vicinity were now trained on them. “I had reservations. I can show you the confirmation code.”

Ignis proceeded to pull out his cell phone when the maître d replied, “That will not be necessary. Perhaps another restaurant will be to your liking; one that will cater to treasonous conspirators.”

Prompto watched wide-eyed as Ignis was momentarily shocked into silence.

“I…I beg your pardon?”

“This establishment will not serve those who wish to protect Niff soldiers and disgrace Lucian legacy by corrupting our society with Magitek rejects.”

“If my presence would have posed a problem, why was not I notified sooner that we were not welcomed?”

“We were unaware that your guest was that,” the man nodded his head toward Prompto. Ignis may not have seen the gesture but he knew well enough whom the maître d was referring to.

Ignis’s face turned red as he balled his shaking fist. Ignis began arguing with the man, no longer caring about the reservation; he only cared about salvaging Prompto’s dignity and defending his humanity. Prompto stepped forward, insisting they left especially when the maître d began his threats of calling for security to escort them out. Just then a woman stepped forward and thrust her glass, splashing wine at Prompto’s face. Prompto froze, stunned by the brash act; his nostrils were immediately assaulted by the scent of fermented grapes. The whole restaurant now stared at the scene. Whispers passed between the couples, no longer uttering romantic sentiments. He could only imagine what insults were being voiced, especially if they recognized him from the television broadcasts. With the world spinning around him (perhaps the alcohol had overwhelmed him), Prompto grabbed Ignis’s hand and yanked him out of the restaurant. 

The wait for the valet to return with the car felt like eternity but as soon as it arrived, he did not waste a minute helping Ignis into the car and diving into the driver’s side. The drive home remained in a tense silence. Prompto operated on auto-pilot as he drove. He barely registered his surroundings. How he managed to make it home safely and without Ignis yelling for him to pay attention to the road was a complete mystery. Once he stepped foot into their penthouse (wait, when did they enter the elevator?), Prompto rushed for the bathroom and stripped his soiled clothes off, discarding them all over the floor. He stepped into the shower and turned the water to the hottest setting his skin could tolerate. Prompto slumped to the floor and pulled his knees up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees then stared into the distance. Streaming tears mixed with the cascading shower.

Even when Ignis entered the bathroom, Prompto did not stir. Ignis opened the glass door to the shower and entered, sitting next to Prompto. His clothes clung uncomfortably as the shower soaked the fabric. The white dress shirt folded at odd angles yet he made no attempt to remove undress. Rather he wrapped an arm around Prompto’s shoulders and pulled him close to his chest, offering a protective hug as if shielding him from the world’s cruelty. Prompto sobbed as his mind was invaded by memories of recent events.

“This won’t ever end, will it, Iggy?”

“Not until people set aside their prejudices.”

Prompto thought back to his childhood, to when his mother made him promise to never reveal the tattoo on his wrist to anyone, not even to someone he felt he could trust. Without questioning he complied but it was years until he fully understood the ramifications of people knowing the truth of his past. Then the day came when he found all of those incubated children – future soldiers for Niflheim had the war not ended. The Lucian government wanted to put them down like unwanted mutts overcrowding the shelters. Prompto made the decision to stand in front of the parliamentary house and revealed how he, a Niflheim born MT experimental specimen, had been living among them in peace. The hearing was televised for all to see. He had never intended to show any of them the truth. It all happened so quickly in a spur of the moment induced by anger and frustration that no one was listening to his words of reason. Prompto had pulled his sleeve up so all could see his tattoo, breaking the promise he had made to his mother.

“Maybe I should have stayed in the shadows after all.”

“You are talking nonsense, Prompto,” Ignis softly rebuked while running his fingers through Prompto’s hair. “What good will it have done for you to live your life concealed from the world?”

“What good did it do for those children? I convinced enough ministers that they are human beings. Well, enough to actually convince them to take it into consideration. After the experiments if they conclude the babies may be fit to coexist in Lucian society, they will be completely exposed and vulnerable. They are all branded just like me. They will face a life where fear and hatred will be directed at them. That’s not fair for them to endure.”

“So are you suggesting now that we murder them?”

Prompto bit his lip as guilt consumed him for even considering that. “I just don’t want them to experience a life where they will never be accepted. To have beer bottles thrown at their heads from cars driving by, to have racial slurs tossed at them, to be threatened with murder or rape. No one should have to face that.”

“They don’t have to be alone in that struggle. Just as I have stood by your side to share in your burden, we will stand by their side to prevent injustices.”

\- Present -

Those words eventually led them to find Hope, the malnourished orphan transported from the facility in Gralea. They had endured stares and whispers especially when they noticed her own tattoo, just like the one he branded since infancy. As she grew older, people seemed to not notice or at least question her origin. Prompto and Ignis gave her a happy life full of traveling, games, and extracurricular activities. She lit up Prompto’s life with big smiles and jokes. She had his light through the darkness he encountered. Never could he have guessed the silent hell she kept to herself. 

Prompto held up the lighthouse souvenir for Hope to see.

“I got this for you. It’s a replica of the lighthouse at Cape Caem. It’s not operational anymore but at one time it used to show ships the way during dark nights.” Prompto paused for a moment while he placed the miniature building into Hope’s hand. “I know that one day you’ll need to be independent and will have to defend yourself, but until that time, allow your father and I be your beacon of light. Allow us to guide you through life so you don’t have to carry the weight of the world solely on your shoulders. I know all too well what it’s like feeling alone to bear the burden of life. There is no need for you to live that way as well.”

Hope ran her thumb over the lighthouse, offering a weak smile despite the tears still sitting in her eyes. Then she slowly sat up, careful not to aggravate her wounds, and wrapped her arms around Prompto’s waist.

“Okay,” was all she whispered.

Prompto kissed the top of her head while stroking her long locks. Since the day the adoption was finalized, Prompto promised to protect her. He may have been naïve to think Hope would be completely shielded from the horrors of life but at least he now vowed to be teach Hope to be a stronger woman as she traverses the obstacles of life even in the face of prejudices from others.


End file.
